180 
EXTRACTS—FLORICULTURE. 
Culture of Cucumbers. —When I sow my seeds, I use a small rack sus¬ 
pended from the rails, that support the' lights with some pieces of board on it; 
the seed-pot being placed on it, remains till the seed has come up : the plants 
are then potted off, and placed on the supended rack, till it is time for them to 
be turned out of the pots; they are then transplanted into small hills of earth 
on the suspended racks, with bricks laid hat to keep the earth together; and as 
the plants grow, they are supplied with fresh earth. Cucumber plants managed 
this way, do much better than in the usual way of ridging out on the earth in 
the pit; for they grow stronger and more healthy, and show fruit much finer and 
better. Just before the fruit is in bloom, the plants are removed from the sus¬ 
pended rack, which is done by placing a hand-glass over the plants on the rack; 
then having the lining levelled by the side of the pit, lift the suspended racks 
out of the pit, and place them on the lining, clean out the top earth that is in 
the pit, scald the sides with hot water, and put in a sufficient quantity of warm 
fresh earth; next take off your hand-glass, and, having two sticks, place one 
under each end of the boards that have the plants, and gently take them off the 
rack, and place them on the fresh earth in the pit where they are to remain; 
then, by placing a small piece of board against the earth that contains the 
plants, (the bricks having been removed,) gently draw away the two outside 
boards; the middle one is drawn out endwise, it being divided in the middle, 
and in that part rests on brackets attached to the two outside boards. By this 
method they may be ridged out when in bloom, and fiuit cut the second week 
afterwards, and are not subject to the attacks of wood-lice. The boards that are 
put on the suspended rack are three, of a breadth which forms a square; the 
middle board being divided across the middle, which make four pieces : the rack 
is suspended by four pieces of chain, which hook to any height that may be re¬ 
quired.— Edwd. Elliott. — Card. Mac/. 
FLORICULTURAL INTELLIGENCE. 
Culture of the Orange-Tree, in England. —After having procured a 
quantity of good seed from the common Citron, sow it about the middle of Feb¬ 
ruary, or beginning of March, at the latest, in twenty-four sized pots, filled with 
rich light mould; covering it half an inch thick with the same sort of soil, and 
spread a little moss over the top, to keep the mould moist. Plunge your pots 
in a hotbed, previously prepared for them, of about 70 to 75 degrees of heat, ta¬ 
king good care not to let the heat sink below that temperature. In a few days 
the plants will make their appearance through the moss, after which a little air 
must be given them when the weather permits. As soon as they attain the 
height of five or six inches, which, if properly managed, will be in five or six 
weeks after they are sown, pot them in sixty or small forty-eight sized pots, ta¬ 
king good care to drain the pots well, which is a very necessary thing towards 
the growing of any plant well, and especially orange trees; after which, plunge 
the pots in the hot-bed as before, taking good care that the bottom heat is not 
too violent for theii loots, and keep a steady heat, so as not to let them get in 
any way stunted in their growth, and by the month of July, the greater part of 
